Mexican Reviera port adventures.

[azdisneyfam]

Hi everyone!

Hoping to revive this board & get some more Mexican Riviera port ideas.

We did the MR cruise on the Magic back in August 2008 & are doing it again in October.

We did the Las Caletas excursion through DCL while in Puerto Vallarta. It was great & we highly recommend it. It is a good substitution for Castaway Cay on the MR cruises - with the secluded private beach you get to enjoy.

We did the Lands End coastal cruise in Cabo & it is not recommended at all. As other posters have said, the ship anchors not far from where the little coastal cruise goes - so you don't really see anything new. Looking for different Cabo ideas - thinking of doing something on our own there?

Would love to hear what others are planning or have done while on their Mexican Riviera cruises!!

Thank you!!

Nicole

 

[Donathius]

We're on the January 15, 2012 MR cruise and we've never cruised before much less done any excursions. My wife and I would also love to hear about other things people have done and enjoyed.

 

[rainnorsnow]

Anyone try the swim/play with dolphins in Cabo? That looks like a must do for the twins....

Our kids, 13, 8 and 6, did the dolphin excursion in Cabo last Feb and loved it.
We bought the cd afterwards and have lots of great pictures.

 

[girl_barrie]

We did that cruise in Late Feb./March - had a BLAST!!
In Puerta Vallarta, we went on the pirate ship sail & treasure hunt. It was a wonderful time!! The pirate ship is so cool - and they give you breakfast as well as lunch and an open bar. (We're not drinkers, but they had unlimited club soda for me!! Woo!) The pirates put on a show while the ship sails you out to a private beach, where they have a treasure hunt, shade umbrellas, drinks, banana boat rides, hermit crabs to play with in a stream - it was really nice & relaxed. The little ones had as much fun as the big ones! Then on the ride back, there is a continuation of the show. Well worth the $$$.


In Cabo we did the pool resort - and it too was a wonderful day. They pick you up for a very short bus ride up the hill, then you get a tour of the resort, are shown to the buffet (YUMMMMMMM!!!!) and the day is yours! They have a mini golf course, 2 or 3 huge, empty pools (quite a welcome change from the icky, crowded "people soup" of the pools onboard), swim-up bars, lounges IN the pool, games, books & magazines to borrow... a PERFECTLY relaxing, uncrowded day!

 

[acpalmer]

Girl_Barrie, we are thinking about the Pirate excursion for next spring. The description says that there is snorkeling available on the beach--is that accurate from what you remember? DH really would like to snorkel a couple of times and we think the boys (8 and 11) would really like this one, so we were sort of hoping to get both in there at once.

Thanks!

 

[girl_barrie]

Girl_Barrie, we are thinking about the Pirate excursion for next spring. The description says that there is snorkeling available on the beach--is that accurate from what you remember? DH really would like to snorkel a couple of times and we think the boys (8 and 11) would really like this one, so we were sort of hoping to get both in there at once.

Thanks!

There was supposed to be snorkeling, and they did have the equipment for it, but on our day out the visibility was really poor so we chose not to do it. There was still plenty to do - but YES - there is snorkeling!

 

[acpalmer]

Thank you! I totally understand that conditions are not always right, so that makes perfect sense. But it is also good to know that it is there if the water looks good that day! Thanks again, it isso nice to see reviews from those who have actually done them. We are narrowed down to this one or the Las Caletas, but I think this is definitely the front runner so far!

Appreciate the feedback!

 

[SWJodi]

We just got back from this cruise 2 weeks ago.

In Cabo we took the motorized catamaran out to Los Arcos. It was nice, but had we known that we would be "anchored" in the harbor just off Los Arcos we probably would not have spent the money and done this excursiion. (The anchor wasn't down the entire time we were in the harbor since the stop was so short. We basically floated around.)

In Puerta Vallarta we did the 'City Tour'. This was a great excursion. We stopped at a small "market" area and had some time to walk around on our own. We then took the bus to the heart of PV, had a short walking tour with our guide who pointed out the major attractions, and then we had some time on our own to wander around before meeting up with the bus again. After that we took a ride along the coast. We stopped at a scenic spot and were able to see where "Night of the Iguana" was filmed. We ended up at a restaurant that overlooked the water where we had a snack and drink. The view from here was breathtaking. There is a bit of walking in this tour, but it is certainly something even the least athletic can handle. We really liked this tour.

Looked at the city tour just one question do you think teens would like it?

 

[SWJodi]

In Cabo if you want to just hang out at the beach don't bother with an excursion. Just tender in and get on a water taxi over the The Office or Mangos. they are right on the beach looking out at the bay where the ship is docked. Food and drinks are separate though but its a great beach day. Water taxi is $2 per person, then the food and drink are up to you. Mangos has lounge chairs as does the place on the other side of The Office. Overall a good area to hang out. No pools but just depends on how much you want to pay for a hang out day.

Thanks for the info. Very helpful for a budget friendly day at the beach

 

[jdb in AZ]

We did the Cabo whale watch and did see a couple of whales. The smaller boats get closer than the large catamaran we went on. It was a really nice smooth excursion, and we did not go very far out of the harbor. Drinks (alcoholic and non) were included in the price, as were chips and salsa.

We definitely saw whales right from our verandah, along with sea lions and the biggest pod of dolphins ever...at least 30, all leaping out of the water together. Our verandah cabin was on the port side of the ship; we saw lots of whales between the ship and the Cabo peninsula when we were sailing into Cabo.

Great picture!

 

[silence]

Three of the excursions we did in February have been mentioned. We would 2 of the 3 again.

Paradise Beach Get Away in PV: LOVED LOVED LOVED this. We are cruising again in April and almost positive we will book this one again. One of the highlights of our cruise. My kids stayed in the pool and on the slides ALL day. The resort staff was so friendly. The beach was nice, though we didn't swim in the ocean.

Cabo Pool Resort Get Away: HATED our day here. The hotel was not prepared for our cruise, there were no loungers available, let a lone no shade. They actually had to go to the beach and bring up plastic loungers. You can't swim in the ocean (which we knew) but that is where they wanted us to sit for a POOL get away. We will do a the BEACH get away next time or do it on our own. We could not wait to get back to the ship. I believe the resort is a timeshare, and the guests were not happy with the addition of the cruisers and we felt like second class citizens. We couldn't get a waiter to stop to even try and pay for a drink. We were beyond disappointed.

Cabo Dolphin Swim: LOVED IT! My kids loved this, I highly suggest purchasing the CD if you can afford it. Awesome pics. My DS is kinda afraid of all animals, so I was worried about him, but he did enjoy this.

 

[D23Ry]

ok, question, how safe is mexico right now. Are these excursions that take you far away from the boat really safe? (zip line stuff, etc.).

 

[MelissaLG]

Same question about safety. We're scheduled for the MR cruise in March. My TA is getting a little nervous because many cruise lines are pulling out of PV and thinks Disney might be next. She called DCL and asked, and they of course just said "not sure" so no commitment one way or the other.

Hmmm ... take chances on MR cruise keeping itinerary or switch to dif. itinerary altogether??

 

[narsibvl]

Right now we have the following excursions booked.

PV day - Las caletas - 8:30 to 3:30
Cabo day 1 - Dolphin encounter - 2:15 to 3:45
Cabo day 2 - coastal highlights tour - 8:45 to 12:45

So we do have time in the evening on PV and Cabo day 1, unable to fit in any other excursions...will keep checking.

 

[Disney Dreams]

ok, question, how safe is mexico right now. Are these excursions that take you far away from the boat really safe? (zip line stuff, etc.).

DH and I have been plotting and scheming to find our way back on a DCL ship because - well, we know a great thing when we experience it. Money and schedules have of course been the obstacles.

Currently, we are discussing doing a MR cruise, but - in light of DCL's recent move to not go to one port - we have agreed that if we decide to go, neither of us gets off the ship any further than the bottom of the gangway. It would be the very first time we would cruise simply for the ship and have ZERO plans to do ANYTHING in ports (due to concern for our own personal safety).

Once you step off that ship, there are just too many variables that DCL does not have control over. So, being in a foreign country, in an area that has experienced problems (in some cases, specifically tourists), we just don't feel there is the need to risk who-knows-what.

I'm sure opinions will very. We are seasoned travelers and are not really "afraid" to go places, but given the decision of a cruise line to not even go to a port? That tells us there is reason for concern. Plus, we know we will have an amazing 7 days just being back on the Wonder - if we can pull it off.

Of course, it's a very personal decision that only you can make for yourself, but that's our view of the subject.
HTH,
Dreams (who has never stayed on a ship in a port in her life)

 

[MelissaLG]

Thanks Dreams! We love staying on the ship, too, but we've done that a few times, so ...

We decided last night as a family to switch from the MR cruise on DCL to a Western Caribbean route on RCCL. It'll be the first time we do a non-Disney cruise! So we will see ... love DCL, but we got a suite w/concierge service for less $$ (than we were paying DCL), and my teen sons are SO excited to try a new cruise line since RCCL ships seem to have more activities geared toward teens.

 

[narsibvl]

Thanks Dreams! We love staying on the ship, too, but we've done that a few times, so ...

We decided last night as a family to switch from the MR cruise on DCL to a Western Caribbean route on RCCL. It'll be the first time we do a non-Disney cruise! So we will see ... love DCL, but we got a suite w/concierge service for less $$ (than we were paying DCL), and my teen sons are SO excited to try a new cruise line since RCCL ships seem to have more activities geared toward teens.

Which ship can I ask !

 

[girl_barrie]

Three of the excursions we did in February have been mentioned. We would 2 of the 3 again.

Cabo Pool Resort Get Away: HATED our day here. The hotel was not prepared for our cruise, there were no loungers available, let a lone no shade. They actually had to go to the beach and bring up plastic loungers. You can't swim in the ocean (which we knew) but that is where they wanted us to sit for a POOL get away. We will do a the BEACH get away next time or do it on our own. We could not wait to get back to the ship. I believe the resort is a timeshare, and the guests were not happy with the addition of the cruisers and we felt like second class citizens. We couldn't get a waiter to stop to even try and pay for a drink. We were beyond disappointed.

I guess that it must really depend upon how booked the resort is as to what the Pool Resort Get-Away is like because your experience is exactly the opposite of ours!! The place was empty and we had our choice of loungers, were often the only ones in the pools and had the waiters attention so easily - he was there with new drinks anytime we even got close to the end of ours!!

As for Mexico's excursion safety, there were U.S. Marines lining the gated walkway to the DCL excursions in PV. VERY, very safe!! LOL!
I would think that the only chance that one would have to be in harms way would be if one chose to venture on one's own. The excursions offered are chaperoned and I am sure very safe in order to be offered by DCL.

 

[MelissaLG]

Which ship can I ask !

Sure! Voyager of the Seas. It's slightly bigger than the Wonder (and a few more decks, 15 instead of 11) so it will have the same size "feel" as we're used to with the Magic/Wonder. Like most RCCL ships it has rock-climbing, mini-golf, ice-skating, in-line skating, flow-rider, etc.

She (my TA) also sent us an option on the Allure of the Seas (the ginormous Oasis class ship), which would have been COOL but it was way higher in price so we decided that Voyager is for us this time.

 

[Mcky36]

Three of the excursions we did in February have been mentioned. We would 2 of the 3 again.

Paradise Beach Get Away in PV: LOVED LOVED LOVED this. We are cruising again in April and almost positive we will book this one again. One of the highlights of our cruise. My kids stayed in the pool and on the slides ALL day. The resort staff was so friendly. The beach was nice, though we didn't swim in the ocean.

Cabo Dolphin Swim: LOVED IT! My kids loved this, I highly suggest purchasing the CD if you can afford it. Awesome pics. My DS is kinda afraid of all animals, so I was worried about him, but he did enjoy this.

We also LOVED these excursions when we did the MR cruise in Feb. We are booked for another MR cruise in Feb 2012 and we also rebooked the Paradise Beach Get Away in PV. We wished we could have stayed longer at this resort! My kids still talk about this excursion all the time. They can't wait to get back to the pool slide and the ocean. I can't wait either. In fact, I wish we were stopping twice in PV instead of twice in Cabo!

As for the other questions about safety.....I was very nervous on our cruise about safety. We were one of the first cruises to go out with the change in itenerary replacing Mazatlan with another day in Cabo. My initial plan was to just not get off the ship. However, I felt COMPLETELY safe in the ports at Cabo and PV. I did not feel unsafe at all at any time. It is obviously an individual decision whether to get off the boat or not, but I'd hate for someone to miss out on these great excursions for something that really felt like a non-issue once we were there.